Big 12 Notebook: North Division remains up for grabs

Five teams in race for spot in title game

Published 5:30 am, Thursday, October 30, 2008

UT defenders were playing catch-up all day long against shifty Oklahoma State running back Kendall Hunter.

UT defenders were playing catch-up all day long against shifty Oklahoma State running back Kendall Hunter.

Photo: Eric Gay, Associated Press

Big 12 Notebook: North Division remains up for grabs

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Not that any other motivation is needed, but Kansas State coach Ron Prince delivered a message to his players this week heading into their annual game with in-state rival Kansas.

“I don’t usually talk about the big picture, but we’ve made sure to articulate to them that if we win this week we’re in the middle of this thing,” said Prince, whose Wildcats plays the three teams ahead of them in the Big 12 North during the next month.

Entering this weekend, the North Division is up for grabs with five teams still in contention. There’s currently a three-way tie for the North lead between Missouri, Nebraska and Kansas at 2-2. Kansas State and Colorado are one game back at 1-3.

The North race is wide open after recent two-game losing streaks by preseason favorites Missouri and Kansas.

“In our eyes, every game is a must-win,” Kansas coach Mark Mangino said. “Every game on the schedule is important.”

Kansas is coming off consecutive losses to Oklahoma and Texas Tech — the latter a 42-point loss at home last week — to drop out of the Top 25 rankings for the first time all season. Of the five teams still in the North race, the Jayhawks have the toughest remaining schedule with games against No. 1 Texas and No. 14 Missouri.

Defending North champion Missouri has an easier schedule with road games against Baylor and Iowa State, and Kansas State and Kansas at home.

Iowa State coach Gene Chizik, whose Cyclones are the only winless team in the Big 12, said not to be fooled by Missouri’s two conference losses — to No. 9 Oklahoma State and No. 1 Texas.

“People don’t need to get confused about Missouri,” Chizik said. “They’re a tremendous football team and have obviously played some real good football teams and didn’t come out on top.”

The North and South winners will meet in the Big 12 championship game Dec. 6 in Kansas City, Mo.

“We’re not focused on that,” Mangino said of the wide-open race. “We can’t get carried away with what’s out there.”

Paying homage

Oklahoma and Nebraska will give a nod to the past with a joint reunion Friday in Norman between players and coaches from the 1971 classic that has been called “The Game of the Century.”

“There’s great respect between the two programs,” OU coach Bob Stoops said.

Back in the day, Oklahoma-Nebraska was considered one of the fiercest rivalries in college football.

Stoops said he shows game clips to his players each year during summer workouts to familiarize them with the history of the series, despite the fact the two teams no longer meet on a regular basis.

“The older guys have seen it enough, but the young guys don’t understand it,” Stoops said. “For the young guys, history is just the last couple of years.”

The teams have split six meetings since the merger of the old Big Eight and Southwest Conferences to form the Big 12 in 1996.

Griffin is pick proof

Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin has not thrown an interception in 175 attempts. He remains on pace to break the Big 12 record (213 by Kansas’ Todd Reesing last season).

Pinkel, whose Tigers play Baylor on Saturday, said Griffin reminds him of former Missouri quarterback Brad Smith.

Shipley’s a slot machine

Texas wide receiver Jordan Shipleyis one of the best comeback stories in college football.

A high school All-American at Class 3A Burnet, Shipley’s college career has been plagued by injuries. But the senior has 10 touchdown catches this season and is on pace to break the the Longhorns’ single-season record of 12 held by Roy Williams (2002) and Limas Sweed (2006).

Shipley has emerged as a deep threat for the Longhorns and has been most effective in the slot position, where he regularly has a matchup advantage against a safety or linebacker.

“When he’s in the slot, he’s very electrifying,” said Texas cornerback Deon Beasley.

Soft Sooners?

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops was asked about the Sooners’ recent struggles on defense.

OU has allowed 111 total points and an average of 493 yards a game over the last three games.

“It’s out of character to a degree,” Stoops said. “We’ve given up some big plays where the quarterback has scrambled and made good plays. We need to do a better job of containing.”

Hunter fights QBs for spotlight

We interrupt the Year of the Quarterback in the Big 12 …

With all the attention on the league’s dominant quarterback play, Oklahoma State running back Kendall Hunter is flying under the radar.

Hunter leads the Big 12 in rushing with 1,116 yards, which is nearly double the next closest running back and more than the totals of six Big 12 teams. Hunter blistered Texas’ No. 2 run defense for 161 yards last weekend.

“He’s a guy that didn’t receive a lot of recognition in the preseason for whatever reason,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said.